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| Europe |
| Russia 'renewing bomber patrols' |
| 2007-08-17 |
| Russia is resuming a Soviet-era practice of sending its bomber aircraft on long-range flights, President Vladimir Putin has said. Mr Putin said the move to resume the flights after a 15 year suspension was in response to security threats posed by other military powers. He said 14 bomber aircraft had taken off from seven airfields across Russia. The move came a week after Russian bombers flew within a few hundred miles of the US Pacific island of Guam. "We have decided to restore flights by Russian strategic aviation on a permanent basis," Mr Putin told reporters at joint military exercises with China and four Central Asian states in Russia's Ural mountains. "In 1992, Russia unilaterally ended flights by its strategic aircraft to distant military patrol areas. Unfortunately, our example was not followed by everyone," Mr Putin said, in an apparent reference to the US. "Flights by other countries' strategic aircraft continue and this creates certain problems for ensuring the security of the Russian Federation," he said. In Washington, a state department spokesman, Sean McCormack, said Russia's decision was "interesting". "If Russia feels as though they want to take some of these old aircraft out of mothballs and get them flying again, that's their decision," he told reporters. Russian media reported earlier on Friday that long-range bombers had been flying over the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. A Russian air force spokesman said several pairs of bombers were in the air "accompanied by Nato planes," Itar-Tass news agency said. Nato said it was aware of the flights but had no comment on whether the Russian bombers had been accompanied by Nato planes. Itar-Tass quoted Russian air force spokesman Alexander Drobyshevsky as saying: "At present, several pairs of Tu-160 and Tu-95MS aircraft are in the air over the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, which are accompanied by Nato planes." In last week's incident near Guam, the Russian pilots "exchanged smiles" with US fighter pilots who scrambled to track them, a Russian general said. The US military confirmed the presence of the Russian bombers near Guam, home to a large US base. Last month two Tupolev 95 aircraft - dubbed "bears" according to their Nato code-name - strayed south from their normal patrol pattern off the Norwegian coast and headed towards Scotland. Two RAF Tornado fighters were sent up to meet them. Russian bombers have also recently flown close to US airspace over the Arctic Ocean near Alaska. Putin's 2nd term in office is coming to an end. He's looking for an excuse to stay on for a 3rd. |
| Posted by:Muggsy |
| #10 "If Russia feels as though they want to take some of these old aircraft out of mothballs and get them flying again, that's their decision," he told reporters. Is it just me, or does this quote and the quote by Nicholas Burns about "peace can only come through strength" (in the $30 billion military aid package we're giving Israel) give you all hope that our newer State spokesmen have a lil more CO Jones than previous Staties? Or am I just reading into their quotes what I want to happen w/ State? |
| Posted by: BA 2007-08-17 22:24 |
| #9 Guys, cut Putin a little slack. Russia is crumbling beneath him. The empire is gone and the Russian people are so demoralized that the population is collapsing. So he is going to do whatever he can to try to stop the slide (National Conception Day?) and needs a bogeyman to rally against. Better the West who is just going to chuckle and ignore him than the Chinese who might take offense, kick his ass and occupy Siberia. Besides Bearbaiting is time honored tradition among American aviators. |
| Posted by: RWV 2007-08-17 21:18 |
| #8 See also UPI.com > IS THE SCO BECOMING ANOTHER WARSAW PACT ORGANIZATION? Scoop - RUSSIA likely still gives relations wid Western Europe and SSSSSHHHHHHH USA higher priority, and may not be too thrilled about working wid other SCO nations. *IONews affecting CHINA, DEFENSENEWS > INDIA plans to build to build roads, airfields, strongpoints along/next to disputed territory wid China. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2007-08-17 19:50 |
| #7 I had this sudden mental picture of a stealth B-2 Hovering just aft and above the russian bomber, those things don't have rear-view mirrors. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2007-08-17 19:21 |
| #6 Dammit, Darth stole the words off my keyboard again. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2007-08-17 19:11 |
| #5 Cool! Manned target drones! |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2007-08-17 15:14 |
| #4 The old days... http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/printer_285.shtml |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-08-17 14:14 |
| #3 they will either be down for structural repairs or maybe (wish, wish) suffer an in-flight breakup Great. Kursk-style aviation disasters waiting to happen. |
| Posted by: Muggsy 2007-08-17 14:12 |
| #2 Hey that's OK, Those Bears are already old and more long range flights only accelerates their fatigue. Maybe if Putty poot ever thinks he'll really need them they will either be down for structural repairs or maybe (wish, wish) suffer an in-flight breakup. Of course for the crews that would suck, but sometimes the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few..... |
| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2007-08-17 13:49 |
| #1 Mr Putin said the move to resume the flights after a 15 year suspension was in response to security threats posed by other military powers Hmm. And just what might those be, you KGB assassin commie power-mongering son of a bitch? |
| Posted by: mcsegeek1 2007-08-17 12:54 |